Vynabond Adhesive

A:

Take a look at this article on using G/flex Epoxy 655, Item # 2272, to repair cracks in a Royalex canoe - http://www.epoxyworks.com/26/pdf/Repairing_Royalex_canoe.pdf - It's not expensive or particularly hazardous (I've just been using it to patch a garden ornament!). The instructions for the epoxy are linked on the product page in the More Information box. Good Luck.

A:

That's a little beyond my skills but I do have some experience trying to bond West system epoxy to an ABS Mohawk canoe. It was their standard epoxy and hardener ( with fiberglass) applied to a small crack low on the bow. As soon as I hit something the patch came off nearly in one piece. I would stick with products made for your canoes' material and use enough glass to overlap the crack by three inches. Good luck.

A:

Hi,
A couple of years ago I attended a lecture on canoe repair. The speaker was a guy who did repairs in a local paddle shop. He claimed that they got a lot of use out of an inexpensive, readily available product called Devcon Plastic Welder. I went out and bought one (about five bucks). It is a two part squeeze tube affair, I have only used it once and that was to fill in gouges, not repair a crack. It worked well and held up to repeated scrapes in bony creeks.
I do think you are on the right track. Stop drill the crack is step one. Then you might think about masking tape on the inside to prevent the filler/adhesive from running through. Fill the crack and tape over the wet fill material to prevent sagging. Once that is cured, you could put a fiberglass patch on the inside or outside. I do believe the Plastic Weld stuff can be used in place of resin for the patch. I would not use kevlar for patching material as it is hard to work with and will "fuzz" up when subjected to abrasion. The Plastic Weld sets up fast (about 5 minutes) so lay everything out ahead of time. It cures to a hard finish. If you want to use more traditional stuff, for about 20 bucks you can buy some West G-Flex epoxy. With either material, sand well, wipe with solvent, and "flash" the area to be repaired with a propane torch (this improves adhesion).
My experience with 5200 tells me that would do the job also. I hesitate only because it may have silicon in it and once you get that on the hull, nothing else will stick to it. Also, it does not dry really hard for a long time.
Good luck,
Peter

A:

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me.  I've seen whitewater canoes with many types of patches.  None of which seemed to affect their performance..   The only product I've used that you listed is Vyna Bond and that was only for d-rings.  But it worked great and I was more pleased with it than the more expensive H2 Glue. 
 
I've forwarded this email to a friend who does a lot of repairs, alterations, on his fleet of canoes.  Perhaps he can help.  You can also contact Spencer Canoes in Martindale, Texas.  They build racing canoes and perhaps can send you in the right direction.
 
Good Luck!

A:

Hi
I am not sure what the correct treatment is. Howver I have used a
combination of acetate (the solvent / cleaner) and scrapping / buffing.
Scrapping is more likely to damage the base fabic however, so caution
should be used. However leaving clumps of previous glue will prevent a good
seal that can withstand the pressure of the infated craft, so there is
little choice. Sometimes I have used a larger patch than necessary if I
have been concerned about the intergrity of the seal. Good luck

A:

It can be a bit of a pain. I have tried several different products and
they all require quite a bit of elbow grease. A scraper and a little heat
can help a lot, but be careful as to not melt anything. Mineral spirits
work wonders, but that depends on what material you are removing from. To
finish it off sand, sand, sand (careful of the residue). If you are going
to be doing this sort of thing a lot an orbital sander would be a good
investment.

A:

Your best adhesive for this will be G/flex 655 Epoxy, Item # 2272. It bonds great to both materials.